Misinterpretation, mistranslation and apologetics

Many criticism against arguments such as mine is that we have misunderstood/misinterpreted the meaning of a particular verse, or "taken it out of context". There are a number of "apologetics" websites which christians use to bolster their faith - these will say things like when Yahweh ordered a massacre, it was necessary because the inhabitants of a particular city were evil and needed to be exterminated, or they will try to explain away the contradictions in the accounts of the death of Judas by saying that it was only in a "spiritual sense" that his body burst open and his intestines fell out. Or that the unicorns, cockatrices, giants and other fierce creatures mentioned in the Bible were actually just oxen, snakes and tall people.

I would like to make the point though that these sites shouldn't be necessary. If Yahweh exists and is a real fact in our universe, shouldn't this be as obvious as say gravity, or the sun in the sky? You don't see sites with titles like "Helping the sun-believer's faith that the sun really exists" - it is plain for everyone to see that the sun exists. Surely if Yahweh existed it would be clear and obvious to everyone?

Also, an infinitely powerful creator would surely be capable of conveying a message to his creations that was crystal clear, without *any* room for misunderstanding in the first place? Why would he simply reveal his incredibly important message to a bronze-age desert tribe and leave them to try to translate it for everyone else, given the different world languages and the way languages evolve over time. Not only that, but he allows hundreds of other "false" religions to flourish, making it even more confusing.

I have read comments on some apologetics web sites saying that you cannot criticise the English translations of the Bible - criticism can only be made by scholars with an understanding of the original Hebrew/Greek texts. This simply proves my point - if the English translations of the Bible do not represent with 100% accuracy the message of the original text, then all bets are off and I cannot see why I should trust any of it. A deity capable of creating the billions of galaxies would surely be capable of delivering a clear message to his creations that doesn't require a professorship in ancient languages.

And if humans have got it completely wrong about evolution/creation, and Yahweh really did create the world in 6 days, why on earth do the vast majority of the world's scientists think all the evidence points otherwise? Surely Yahweh could have forseen the confusion and made it extremely obvious how he created everything, and his "word" would corroborate the evidence found by scientists?

Goblinology

It has also been said that you cannot criticise Christianity without having undertaken an in-depth study of theology. Ok, so imagine the following: there are large numbers of people who believe in goblins. Even though nobody has ever seen a goblin, you can take degree and even doctorate courses in goblinology, the study of goblins. Goblinogians throughout the centuries have written detailed dissertations on the nature of goblins, and spend many hours discussing how humans should relate to the goblins. In Britain, a really senior member of the Goblican Church can gain a place in the second chamber of Government, and direct British Government policy and how it should interpret the will of the goblins. Schoolchildren are required by law to sing praises to the goblin king every morning.

Different schools of thought exist about the relationships between the different kinds of goblins, for example, doctrinal interpretations about the difference between the goblin and the hobgoblin (described as an "ineffable mystery") have caused schisms in the world of goblinology, with different Goblinogians accusing each other of heresy. Hundreds of books have been written about how to contact goblins and even reach the world of the goblins, even though nobody has ever seen this place. Some Goblinogians even say that humans who deny the existence of goblins will be eventually thrown into the fires of Mount Doom (the abode of Sauron), although some Goblinogians disagree with this, and in any case, nobody has ever seen such a place.

Ok, so are you really suggesting that I cannot criticise Goblinology and Goblinogians without first having spent years poring over The Lord of the Rings (not the paperback version, it has to be the original version as penned by Tolkien)?

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